This Sunday (13 July), a group of dedicated Hertfordshire Fire Fighters will cycle to every fire station across Hertfordshire to raise money for the Fire Fighters' Charity.

Riders will make an early start from St Albans fire station at 5am, to ensure that they have time to complete their 180-mile journey to visit each of the county's 29 fire stations in one day. As part of their ride, they'll take short rest stops at stations in Hemel Hempstead, Garston, Borehamwood, Hertford, Bishop's Stortford, Royston, Hitchin and Stevenage, before heading back to St Albans. The ride is expected to take around 15 hours to complete.

This will be the eighth year that the ride has taken place and to date over £12,000 has been raised.

The Fire Fighters' Charity exists to help all serving and retired members of the UK's fire family to live healthier and happier lives – offering vital support to protect those people who protect us. This year's ride not only supports the charity's life changing work but aims to shine a light on the importance of mental health support in the fire service. It also honours the memory of colleagues in Bicester, Oxfordshire, where two firefighters and a member of the public tragically lost their lives two months ago.

Fire Firefighter Liam Coffil will again be joining the ride. Liam sustained life changing injuries when he was knocked off his bike on the way to work at Garston Fire Station in August 2023. The Fire Fighters' Charity have supported Liam as part of his rehabilitation.

One of the cyclists and organisers, Watch Commander Dwight Williams, said: "As well as raising money for the Fire Fighters Charity, we also want this year's challenge to raise awareness of mental health, and to remember the tragic events in Oxfordshire where two firefighters made the ultimate sacrifice."

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Mark Barber, who is also taking part in the event, said: "Once again I'm proud of the Fire Service colleagues who are taking part in this event.

"On a daily basis Hertfordshire fire fighters are here to protect and save lives in the county, and their commitment to their voluntary work is testament to the dedication of the people who work for Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service."

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